The main events in space industry of the last week

Planetarium with the largest in the world projector dome, robot cosmonaut, Chinese meteorological satellite launched into space – read about these and other pieces of news in our current review.

The successful launch of Chinese meteorological satellite

Carrier rocket carrying Yunhai-1 satellite was launched this Saturday. It has already entered the orbit and can gather weather and climatic data, explore space, atmosphere of the Earth, and fulfill other tasks.

We would like to remind that the satellite was developed in the Shanghai division of CASC for research purposes.

Carrier rocket with spacecraft placed on the launch pad at Baikonur

On November 14, Soyuz-FG carrier rocket was taken to the launching site. Its launch is scheduled for November 17, 2016. The spacecraft will take cosmonauts – Peggy Whitson from the USA, Thomas Pesquet from France, and Oleg Novitsky from Russia – to the Russian ISS module “Rassvet”.

Planetarium with the largest in the world dome to be opened in St. Petersburg

The former gasholder with the total area of 5000 square meters will be converted to a planetarium with the huge projector dome and exhibition zone. There are plans to place interesting space exhibits, interactive booths, and VR attractions in the latter.

The aim of organizing the planetarium is to introduce children and teenagers to science.

Additional constructions have already been erected inside and outside the facility in order to implement this idea. The total cost of the project is estimated at approximately RUB 280 million.

Russia began working on a robot cosmonaut

As early as 2020, a robot cosmonaut will be used to assess the state of the space module’s outer surface, carry cargoes, cut vacuum shield thermal insulation, install equipment, etc. Robot will be used for operations on the surface of the Moon, and in the long term – on the surface of explorable planets. The system will include the robot, control panels, ground segment and integration means.

The President of Russia to hold a meeting on the development of space industry

The meeting dedicated to the issues of Russian space exploration strategy planning for the period throughout 2030 will take place in several days. The President has already talked about the importance of attracting private resources for industry development. In his view, it is necessary to actively implement innovative technologies in order to attract private investors, as it will significantly improve the potential of space programs.